Canadians are familiar with U.S. pressure on intellectual property laws, but it is worth remembering that we are not alone. The latest target is Spain, with new revelations of U.S. threats of retaliation if Spain did not pass U.S. backed copyright rules.
Fair Dealing by Giulia Forsythe (CC BY-NC-SA 2.0) https://flic.kr/p/dRkXwP
Copyright
Challenging Counterfeit Counterfeiting Data
Julian Sanchez has an excellent post at the CATO website debunking claims in the U.S. on the financial impact of counterfeiting and piracy, which is being used to promote the dangerous Stop Online Piracy Act. The post focuses on the fake $250 billion per year claim that is frequently invoked […]
Website Links House of Commons IP Addresses to BitTorrent Downloads
TorrentFreak reports on a Pirate Party of Canada finding that links BitTorrent downloads to IP addresses assigned to the House of Commons. Similar findings using the YouHaveDownloaded.com site have occurred in France and the United States. The findings raise questions about possible infringement and – given questions about the reliability […]
Crystal Ball Gazing at the Year Ahead in Tech Law and Policy
January. The Supreme Court of Canada holds a hearing on whether Internet service providers can be treated as broadcasters under the Broadcasting Act. The case, which arises from a CRTC reference to the courts on the issue, represents the last possibility for an ISP levy similar to the one paid by broadcasters under the current rules.
February. Industry Minister Christian Paradis unveils proposed spectrum auction rules along with changes to Canadian restrictions on foreign ownership of telecom companies. After the earlier trial balloon of opening up the market to companies with less than 10 percent market share generated a tepid response, the government jumps in with both feet by announcing plans to remove foreign investment limits for telecom companies starting in 2013 in conjunction with the next spectrum auction.
Crystal Ball Gazing at the Year Ahead in Tech Law and Policy
Appeared in the Toronto Star on January 1, 201 as 2012 could be busy year for Internet technology law and policy in Canada Technology law and policy is notoriously unpredictable but 2012 promises to be a busy year. My best guess for the coming months: January. The Supreme Court of […]
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